Ugly but Comfortable
by SomethingAverage
Summary: Three times Shikamaru witnessed Ino ugly but comfortable


**Ugly but Comfortable**

**The first time Ino wore boy clothes she was twelve, covered in soil and rather unimpressed.**

"**You should've checked which side of the bag was open before lifting, Troublesome," The dark-haired boy said, fighting off a grin. Even at the age of twelve Shikamaru understood the semantics of self-preservation -especially those concerning short tempered (and often volatile) blondes skilled in wielding sharp objects.**

"**Be quiet Shika!" Ino glared, an angry splay of dirt kicked up as she stomped indignantly. The boy was already inching toward the back door. "It wouldn't have happened if you weren't such a lazy bum!" Her usually impeccable clothes were coloured with rich brown smears, dirt trailed around her neck and arms comically. Shikamaru wondered if it was normal for people to talk in as many exclamation points as his friend did. "Go get me some clothes!" Probably not, he thought.**

"**Troublesome," Shikamaru breathed deeply through his nose letting out a long sigh. **_**He should've gone to Choji's instead of letting himself be dragged off to help her garden. **_

**Ino spent the rest of the afternoon drowning in a brown long sleeve and shorts that fell down every three steps. Too busy staring at herself with disdain to see the glint in Shikamaru's eyes, and too annoyed to admit she liked the scent of pinecones that now clung to her, she rolled her eyes. "Seriously Shika, you should burn these,"**

"**Sure, Ino." The boy said, eyes lingering a moment longer where her dainty fingers played with the hem of his shirt before turning away.**

**The next time, sixteen-year-old Shikamaru found Ino, head hung out of Yakiniki Q's tiny bathroom window. Her cheeks flushed and eyes flitting sheepishly between the ground and sky in a poor attempt to avoid eye contact.**

"**So, you need clothes to disguise yourself so you can sneak away from your date?" Shikamaru mused, watching his teammates cheeks pool a deeper crimson.**

"**That's what I said, Baka!" She was seething, scowling so feverously at the cement Shikamaru was surprised the pavement didn't crack under his feet. "He was a lot cuter with his mouth shut." Ino blew her bangs away from her cheek, irritated.**

_**I know the type,**_** Shikamaru thought with a roll of his eyes. **

**Troublesome.**

**Later Ino realised that the plain black tee -four sizes too big- and grey sweats she had to roll up around the ankle, had kind grown on her. They did absolutely nothing for her figure, and she wouldn't be caught dead wearing them in public -again- but they were soft to the touch and smelled oddly comforting -like cool grass and sunlight.**

**Ino wasn't even sure that things **_**could**_** smell like sunlight. Trust Shikamaru to make things smell good merely by lazing on a hill.**

"**Thanks," She muttered, gingerly offering the neat pile to the wayward body lying a few feet away from her. **

**Since when had she become territorial over old sweatpants and faded shirts? **

**Shikamaru paused a moment, regarding his teammates poorly concealed discomfort curiously. "Maa," He shrugged carelessly, "Keep them," He said, watching her from half lidded eyes.**

"**Really? – I mean," Ino inwardly cringed at the excitement that laced her words, clearing her throat before adopting an indifferent manner. "What makes you think that I'd want to keep your old rags?" She scoffed, purposefully ignoring the fact that she'd already pulled the pile against her chest, and that Shikamaru's eyes seemed more lively than usual.**

**The boy threw an arm over his eyes the hint of a smirk played at the corner of his mouth, "Figured it'd do you some good to own clothing that covered more than 20% of your body." He ignored the low growl that sounded from above him, "Plus it probably smells like that girly crap you drown yourself in,"**

**Ino's nostrils flared, **_**girly crap?**_** "Better than smelling like dirt and grass!" She huffed, the reality of waking up that morning with the bottom half of her face buried away in a certain pleasant-smelling shirt, shoved aside. **

"**Sure Ino," Shikamaru drawled, watching the girl stalk off in a storm of blonde and purple -his clothes gathered carefully within her arms. He felt warm, even as the sun hid behind a cloud, eventually putting it down to the summer air. **

_**If the summer air had blue eyes and a loudmouth.**_

**Shikamaru made a note to ask Ino if she could use her mind jutsu to shut his inner voice up, then quickly retracted the thought. She didn't need to be in his head more than she already was. Closing his eyes Shikamaru tried to think about things that weren't troublesome and walking around with his favourite pair of sweats. **

_**The man's figure slacked against the wall studying Ino with an intensity that made her shiver. "Ino," He said, form hidden by the shadows, "What do you want?"**_

_**You, the voice in her head echoed, words unable to release themselves from her lips as the man inched forward. Step by step the moonlight revealed a slouched outline, the way his hands hooked into his pant pockets familiar. The light crept up his body illuminating the smooth tan skin adorning his neck, her breath laboured as it revealed a strong-**_

**Ino shot up, covers flying and hands autonomously reaching for the kunai on her dresser stealthily moving toward her window that was now opened despite her closing it before falling asleep.**

"**Hey,"**

**She twisted in one swift movement, years of training taking over. Her forearm was pressed against the intruder's chest and the edge of her kunai was poised perfectly, lining his jugular dangerously.**

**Ino's eyes snapped up and narrowed, "Shika?" She hissed in a low voice, pushing aside the relief she felt with annoyance.**

"**Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered against the blade that gleamed threateningly in the dim light.**

**The breath of his words fell with hers and her stomach began to feel hollow. "What are you doing here?" Ino stepped away grateful and confused as the sensation in her gut dissipated with the distance.**

**The silence that answered her was unnerving and she was growing more irritated as time passed, "Well? You better have a good reason, Baka, otherwise- "**

"**We have a mission tomorrow. I forgot to brief you," Shikamaru kept his voice even and cool, eyes trained on the girl who was fidgeting uncharacteristically. "We leave in the afternoon," He tossed the scroll to her, unsurprised as she caught it with ease.**

**He considered her whilst she scanned over the mission scroll and swallowed thickly as his eyes trained themselves on a familiar black shirt that barely brushed Ino's mid-thigh. Shikamaru hadn't remembered it being so short on her before, but then again two years had a habit of allowing people to grow.**

"**So why- "Ino cut herself off abruptly, failing to finish a sentence that she'd already forgotten the words of. Shikamaru was staring at her with an unreadable expression plastered on his face and struggled against the urge to squirm. She didn't do that. Girls who were shy and awkward and not used to being looked at did that. So why was it that Ino -the girl who was accustomed to the constant wandering eye of many- wanted to run away at a glance from a boy who she had known her entire life? And then her eyes trailed to the spot that his had been glaring at, and she, Ino Yamanaka, fumbled for an explanation.**

"**I- um ran out of pyjama's," She explained too quickly, "It's ugly but comfortable," Ino finished lamely looking at her carpet with a newfound interest.**

_**Right, because Ino Yamanaka, veteran retail customer and owner of the greatest expanse of clothes in all Konoha, runs out of sleepwear. Nice one.**_

**Shikamaru wasn't aware that he'd moved forward and reached out until he heard a sharp breath that brushed against his collarbone. "You kept it," He stated, his tone kept cool and his pulse quickening inexplicably. His fingers padded across the material and he supressed the urge to sigh at the small tremor underneath his fingertips. Shikamaru tilted his chin back up, meeting wide eyes.**

"**So?" Ino didn't know why they were suddenly whispering. She didn't know why she didn't shove him away for being so close to her. She didn't know why she felt hot all over or why the hollow feeling in her stomach returned. She didn't know why her breathing was **_**that**_** much shallower as she looked back at him.**

**And Ino didn't want to know why the boy who was now mere inches from her closed his eyes and stepped away from her looking uncharacteristically tense.**

"**I'll give you a bigger one next time," Shikamaru said flatly turning back to the shadows of the night without another glance in her direction. That had caused him enough trouble in his life. **

**As walked the empty streets he didn't acknowledge the fact that his pulse was returning to its normal lazy rate and his head increasingly cleared the bigger the distance he made from Ino. No, all he thought about was the new grey shirt he'd now have to replace tomorrow and how troublesome it was that he was willing to do it.**


End file.
